100-year-old marathoner inspires, amazes

Sunday

Oct 30, 2011 at 12:01 AMOct 30, 2011 at 7:34 AM

Every once in a while the thought crosses my mind that I’d like to run one more marathon before my running career comes to a close. But each time it does, I come up with some age-related rationalization not to do so.

Unfortunately, Fauja Singh has taken away my only reason to avoid running one.

GERRY CHESTER

Every once in a while the thought crosses my mind that I’d like to run one more marathon before my running career comes to a close. But each time it does, I come up with some age-related rationalization not to do so.

Unfortunately, Fauja Singh has taken away my only reason to avoid running one.

About 10 days ago, when I returned home from my weekly run in the Pachaug State Forest, my wife said to me, “You have no more excuses.”

While at first I thought she meant I had to finally go out and rake leaves or maybe clean out the garage, she proceeded to inform me about a news story regarding a man from England who had just finished a marathon in Canada.

When I interjected, “Lots of people run marathons,” she quickly added, “But he’s 100 years old.” As I skeptically consulted my computer for confirmation, my first thought was that most people don’t live that long. My second was “How could that be physically possible?”

As I soon found out, Singh, a British centenarian, finished the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 16 in 8 hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds to become the first 100-year-old to finish a marathon.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Singh, who began running at the age of 81 after the death of his wife and son, was born on April 1, 1911 on a farm in India. He later moved to England where, in 2000, he ran his first marathon in a time of 6:54 — at the age of 89. Since then he has finished seven additional marathons in Toronto, New York and London, as well as three half-marathons.

More to the story

Amazingly, there’s more to the story than just completing a marathon. On Oct. 13, just three days before his 26.2-mile trek, while most marathon runners are carbohydrate-loading and conserving their energy in the days prior to their race, Singh was taking part in the Ontario Masters Athletics Fauja Singh Invitational Meet.

During the competition, Singh set eight age-group world records when he ran 100 meters in 23.14, 200 meters in 52.23, 400 meters in 2:13.48, 800 meters in 5:32.18, 1500 meters in 11:27.81, the mile in 11:53.45, 3000 meters in 24:52.47 and the 5000 meters in 49:57.39.

When asked if he found running a marathon at his age difficult, he described the experience in the same way many marathon runners have. “The first 20 miles are not difficult. As for the last 6, I run while talking to God.”

Singh’s recently released biography, “Turbaned Tornado,” contains wisdom and advice on various topics, including an enlightening section titled “Prescription for Aspiring Long Distance Runners.”

A human marvel

More importantly, the book provides a possible clue as to how Singh has been able to achieve such success during his running career. At the age of 99, he and a number of elite older athletes were given a battery of medical tests at the University of Westminster in London.

Singh’s blood test results led doctors, who were not told the identity of the athletes, to believe they were dealing with a 40-year-old. In bone density, his weaker left leg was found to be comparable to that of a 35-year-old while his right leg was similar to that of a 25-year-old. Singh not only provides motivation for all distance runners, but he’s also a true human marvel.

As for my future marathon plans, I explained to my wife recently that it’s not the 26.2 mile distance that concerns me, it’s the “living to 100 years of age” part.

Gerry Chester writes a twice-monthly running column for The Bulletin. He can be reached at coachchester@yahoo.com

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